Microbiology culture & isolation - Farm animals.
Every three months the panel of samples will include one sample for Antibiotic Sensitivity Test (AST), alternating between Gram negative and Gram positive organisms. All other samples will be for isolation and identification. These samples may include at least one pathogen and could also contain contaminants. The organisms will be either reference or field strains. Participants will be given clinical information about the sample, as would happen with most usual sample submissions to a laboratory. Using normal routine procedures the participants will make their choice of tests to try to determine the organisms present.
The results, for the intended pathogen (of the non AST samples) will be scored according to the following criteria:
2 – Fully correct result i.e. correct species
1 – Partially correct result e.g. correct genus but not species, or fully correct intended species as ‘Other organism’
0 – Incorrect non-pathogen, or correct genus but incorrect non-pathogen species
-1 – Unintended pathogen, or incorrect pathogen species
Not tested – Notification of no result submitted by participant with valid reason
Not scored – No growth detected from a sample containing an organism, educational or sample invalidated post issue
Please record any pathogen found in the “Intended Pathogen(s) Isolated” entry. Where other organisms are isolated, these can be recorded in the “Other Organism(s) Isolated” entry.
Two final reports are issued to participants, one only shows an individual lab’s results including their lab score for each sample. The other shows the intended results, results for all participants and the overall percentage of labs that submitted the correct results.